Eggplant Parmesan Cakes

Experimenting with eggplant is always fun. After catching a glimpse of a Tik-Tok video I tried my hand at making something different. I'm calling these Eggplant Parmesan Cakes because the method creates individual servings that look more like a layer cake than a traditional tray of eggplant parmesan. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplant - cut into 12 slices total lengthwise
• 3/4 lb lean ground beef
• olive oil as needed
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - minced and left alone for 10-15 min before cooking for best flavor
• 2 medium tomatoes - diced
• garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper, fresh chopped basil to taste for filling
• enough shredded mozzarella to make you smile

Preparation:

After washing/drying the eggplant, remove the top and then make ~3/8" slices lengthwise. Best cutting is done by standing the eggplant on the cut surface where top was removed and slicing downward while watching your knife from the top.

After slicing the eggplant, sprinkle with coarse salt and let the slices sit for 10-15 minutes. This helps release excess moisture from the eggplant. I do this right on my cleaned countertop because 12 slices take up a lot of room. Use paper towels to pat the eggplant dry, wiping off any extra salt as well.

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly brush slices with olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices on sheet pans brushed with olive oil. Bake for ~15-20 minutes until lightly browned but still firm. While eggplant is baking, make the filling.

Fry the ground beef in a tbsp of olive oil and set aside. 

In the same skillet add another tbsp olive oil and saute onion & garlic. 

Add tomatoes and simmer until until cooked down and slightly thickened. 

Season to your liking and then add ground beef back. Blend well and keep warm.

Assembly: The size of your original eggplant will determine how many "cakes" you make. Ideally you will need four slices per cake. Place bottom layers in a sheet pan and add filling.

Next slice gets filling and a layer of cheese. Third layer just filling and final fourth layer just cheese. 

Bake at 350F for about 15 min until top cheese is melted and golden brown. If needed, switch to broil for a couple minutes to get the desired color. 

Garnish with fresh Italian parsley and add grated parmesan if you like.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Salmon and Cherry Tomato Curry

 Credit for this lightly adapted recipe goes to Recipes by Veronica.

Salmon, tomatoes and fresh spinach in a delicious curry... Need I say more? Enjoy!

I learned something new with this dish... Apparently a "Curry" does not necessarily contain curry powder, as long as you use the right ingredients that create the flavor palette of a Curry. :-)

For the Curry:

• 4 60z salmon filets - skinless for best texture
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger - minced (powder is an option)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper - adjust to your heat level
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (ground is an option)
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 can coconut milk use full - fat for richness
• 2 cups fresh spinach - stems removed
  

For Serving:

• 1-2 cups pearl barley cooked in chicken broth 
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs mint, basil, cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Season your salmon fillets generously with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the minced garlic & ginger in the skillet for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Toast the cumin seeds in the same pan for about 15 seconds until aromatic.

Add the cherry tomatoes, ground coriander, Aleppo pepper and ground turmeric. Stir to combine.

Stir in the coconut milk and season with salt. Cook uncovered for 6-8 minutes.

Add the fresh spinach and gently place the seasoned salmon fillets into the simmering curry. Cover and simmer for 4-7 minutes until salmon is cooked through.

Serve the curry over cooked barley, garnished with fresh herbs of your choosing. Sauteed zucchini pairs very nicely with this dish.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Chef Michael's "The Good Stuff" Seasoning

 I can see you're already smirking... So am I... LOL

A while back I was making homemade chicken cold cuts using baked chicken breast. The spice blend turned out to be so good I decided it should be a thing. :-) Thinking back on all the proteins I've used it on I realized I was referring to it as The Good Stuff. I'm not changing it... It makes me smile. :-)

I make it by the jar now because of rather frequent use, so the recipe that follows will be in parts/proportions instead of finite measurements. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 parts kosher salt
• 1 part freshly ground black pepper
• 1 part garlic powder
• 1 part onion powder
• 1 part smoked paprika

Preparation:

Decide on quantity and choose an appropriate bowl. Add all ingredients and blend well using a small whisk or fork.

Use sparingly as the blend does have a mild heat level. It works well on chicken, pork and just about any kind of fish. 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Venison with Brussels Sprouts & Beans

I enjoy creating Earthy dishes with my venison. I process my venison the entire way from field to table so I know it is as fresh and pure as can be, allowing for Next Level flavors right from the start.

In this dish I experimented combining venison with a green vegetable, a legume and yellow onions. Brussels sprouts and black beans ended up being the winning combination, along with onions and some Montreal Steak seasoning. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground venison 
• 10 Brussels sprouts - halved after cooking
• 1 yellow onion - cut up 
• 15 oz can black beans - drained & liquid reserved
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning to your taste
• olive oil

Preparation:

Boil the Brussels sprouts  and cut in half. I you want, sear the cut side briefly for extra flavor.

Fry the chop meat and onion until done. 

Add the drained black beans. blend and season with Montreal Steak to your liking.

Finally add the cooked Brussels Sprouts and carefully fold into the mix. 

Add reserved bean juice if needed for moisture. Enjoy!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Weekend Ramble: Scallions... The Unsung Heroes in the World of Onions

The onion is a most amazing staple in our daily lives... Just think about how many of your dishes incorporate this very simple, yet intriguing vegetable. The three basic types of onions are:

The Yellow Onion

The Red Onion

The White Onion

As much as I love these guys in all their applications... raw, cooked, boiled, sauteed, deep fried, baked, chopped, sliced, minced, cut in slices, slivers or rings and a myriad of other ways to use this great vegetable.... I have to say that the following little beauties are my favorite....

Ladies and gentlemen..... I give you....

The Scallion

or simply the green onion as scallions are known in many circles.

Why is this one my favorite? Simple. The scallion is the onion that is re-usable! 

"What the heck is he talking about... RE-USABLE?!?!?!?!?"

I asked my friend Sunny from Life in Rehab the same thing when she told me to stick the end of my store-bought scallions into some dirt instead of tossing them in the trash... 

Well... good, trusting friend that I am, I followed her advice on February 24, 2014.

A little water... some sun in the living room window.... 

and 11 days later we had THIS!

You just HAVE to love Mother Nature! LOL Not bad for free, right? The best part is they will keep producing for months. If you have a regular garden or even a container garden, you can grow scallions pretty much year-round at minimal cost. 

Thanks again, Sunny!

Now, if y'all want to delve into the history and varied uses of the onion, I highly

recommend visiting The National Onion Association. They'll even

tell you what to do so you don't cry during prep... ;-)

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Have a great week, everyone... and as always... thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

Lemon Dijon Aioli

Belonging to the Facebook group Wild Alaskan Company Community: What's Cooking Tonight? often introduces me to recipes, coatings and sauces that are so good that I request the privilege of adding them to my blog. Fellow group member Jody Lynn's Lemon Dijon Aioli was just such a find. In her original post she served it over sable fish. The day I first tried it I decided on cod. Both fishes pair really, really well with this simple but flavorful aioli. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Hellman's Real Mayonnaise
• juice & zest from 1/2 lemon - more zest optional
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Gently whisk all ingredients in a small bowl before making your other meal components and set aside so aioli gets close to room temp by the time you're ready to serve.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chicken Soup – Sylvan Run Style

This soup was born after I’d been sick for a few days and needed something hearty to regain strength. Using whatever was in the house I came up with this flavorful lil beauty. I know the ramen is not the healthiest of choices, but sometime ya gotta do what ya gotta do! ;-)

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken thighs with skin
• 1 onion cut up
• Baby Portobello mushrooms
• 8 oz frozen baby lima beans
• a few carrot shavings (use your veggie peeler)
• 1 pkg chicken flavored ramen
• 1 egg
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:
Boil the chicken in salted water (enough to cover the chicken) for 25 minutes, remove from water and set aside to cool. Add onion and sliced mushrooms to hot water and simmer 10-15 min til tender. Add the beaten egg via fork drizzle (egg drop). Add lima beans & carrots  and simmer another 10 minutes. During this time skin and shred the chicken. Add the ramen noodles to pot and after 3 min the seasoning packet. Add the chicken to the soup and season with fresh ground black pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 min and serve.

For those who like cheese, a dash of Pecorino Romano or parmesan is really tasty on top.